"Supernatural" fans were over the moon when news of The CW's long-running drama
earned an early renewal. And Jensen Ackles -- who plays Dean Winchester -- felt the same way when he heard the news that he was getting a Season 10.

"As you know, this is the tenth time we've gotten that phone call. I will say, it never gets old," Ackles tells
Zap2it with a laugh. "It's always a very sweet phone call to get. We're excited."

Ackles is looking forward to seeing where the series will go in the future based on Season 9's success so far. "After looking at what the reaction has been this season, we've seen some of the highest ratings that we've ever had, I think people are really starting to respond, or they're responding more," Ackles says. "It's nice that after nine seasons, instead of sizzling out, it actually seems to be building up speed. I don't know how that happened, but it happened and we're happy for it."

Dean and his younger brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) will be a part of the pilot episode to kick off the new series. "Sam and Dean head to Chicago on a regular job, and even though the relationship is as strained as it is right now, they still agree to work together and do what they can," Ackles teases. "So they show up in Chicago and find some very interesting characters and a very interesting situation."

But don't worry, "Supernatural" fans: The parent series won't be losing any of its original stars to the new spinoff.

"Unfortunately [Sam and Dean] have got bigger fish to fry so they can't necessarily stick around and investigate more," Ackles reveals. "They'd like to, but they can't. So they've got to say, like, 'Hey, we'll call in some backup and get you some help, but we've got stuff to do.' So that's how that whole situation is introduced. But as far as the relationship between Sam and Dean, they put their issues aside and just go to work. That's how we see them in that episode."